Optimal design of a micro combined CHP system applying PEM fuel cell as initial mover with utilization of Developed Pathfinder Optimizer

The use of Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CHP) system, as one of the possible solutions to increase efficiency and to reduce environmental pollution, is rapidly increasing in residential units. The primary mover of combined CHP-based buildings can be based on gas-burning engine, micro turbine, fuel cell (FC), or a sterling engine. Characteristics such as higher effectiveness, very lower pollution, without moving parts, modularity, and extensive suffering for FCs have led many developed countries to support FC development at the top of their budget plans. In the present study, to reduce the power demand, a new optimal arrangement has been suggested for the combined CHP system in a residential building in Yazd, Iran. The research gives a Developed version of Pathfinder Optimizer (DPF) to optimize the combined CHP configuration by considering the highest unified operation for the suggested combined CHP system. A comparison of the outcomes of the suggested method with the SMS algorithm and basic PF algorithm is carried out to indicate the algorithm superiority. The final results show that using the considered method decreases the ratio of carbon dioxide emission ratio (RCDE). The results also showed that based on the proposed method, yearly overall cost-saving (YOCS) has the minimum effect on the combined effectiveness. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.